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SHIRA MIYAM

Shira Miyam is a humpback whale sighted in Maui county waters named by Beth Savitt through the Pacific Whale Foundation name-an-animal program. Adopt Shira Miyam today to learn the meaning behind the name and more about this animal’s story.

Pacific Whale Foundation has carried out research in Australia since 1984 to determine the migratory patterns, behavioral characteristics and population estimates of Australian humpback whales. Cameron is an Australian Humpback whale named by Richard Bourque from Nebraska in honor of Cameron Mitchel.

Kalani is a humpback whale in the North Pacific population and was originally sighted off the coast of Hawaii, in the breeding and birthing grounds. Kalani was named by Alex and Rishi from San Francisco, California.

Lindsay was sighted by Pacific Whale Foundation’s team in Hawai’i, off the coast of Maui, during the winter of 2012. Based on data collected on thousands of other humpback whales like Lindsay, we believe that Lindsay spends summer in much cooler waters, most likely in the area that extends from Northern California to the coast of Alaska, by the Bering Sea. This means Lindsay traveled a tremendous distance—an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 miles—to migrate there from Hawaii. We do not know how long such a journey would take for Lindsay, but scientists believe that on average, the trip takes between 30 to 60 days.

Henry is a humpback whale that our researchers have seen four times in the past six years! On three of those occasions, Henry was in Hervey Bay, an expansive bay on Australia’s Queensland coast. Henry is named in honor of Dr. Henry Herman Roenigk Jr., a philanthropist who founded the Roenigk Family Foundation following many years of work in the field of dermatology.

The constellation “Cetus,” (more commonly known as “the whale”) is a very prominent and well-known constellation that can only be viewed from the Southern Hemisphere, Our researchers named this Australian whale “Cetus” in honor of the constellation, and as a way to acknowledge that he’s a true “star” — he’s been sighted by our team on 21 different occasions!

Addison is a North Pacific humpback whale that was sighted by Pacific Whale Foundation’s researchers off the coast of Maui. Humpback whales live in all of the world’s major oceans. Scientists describe North Pacific humpback whales as those whales living in the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator.

The name “Nunyara” means “made well again” in an Australian aboriginal dialect. This whale was first observed off the coast of Australia in 2008 with terrible wounds, which appeared to be the result of a collision with a ship’s hull. Our researchers in Australia were very happy to observe Nuniyara again in 2010 fully healed, healthy and breaching!

Pacific Whale Foundation has carried out humpback whale research in Australia since 1984 to determine their migratory patterns, behavioral characteristics and population estimates. Aroha is a Australian humpback whale named by Craig Fletcher from New Zealand.

KEGL was named by a ladies’ group whose friendship and love of whales (and all creatures) guided them to help fund the research of one whale. Kumiko, Esther, Geralyne, and LaVonne opted to name a humpback whale KEGL (pronounced Keg-L) from the first letters of each of their names.

Splash is a humpback whale that was sighted off the coast of Maui in February 2012. Students at the Portage Aquatic Club, a competitive swimming program in Michigan, raised money through various fundraisers to name a whale. Each person submitted a name to be voted upon and the winning name was Splash!

Lady is a humpback whale from Australia. Our researchers first identified her in 1999—and we have seen her in 2000, 2005 and 2010—which adds up to knowing her for eleven years! Lady was named by the Turner Family Fund and we are pleased to share her fascinating life story with you.

Murphy is a humpback whale that we’ve observed off the coast of Australia six times since 1993, including our most recent sighting, when she was a mom with a calf! Murphy was named by Pacific Whale Foundation supporters James and Karen Murphy of California.

Josefina is a southern hemisphere whale that has been sighted five times since 2002 off the coast of Ecuador. In 2004, our researchers documented a span of 27 days during which Josefina stayed in the area off Ecuador’s coast near Puerto Lopez. For this reason, Josefina is a very notable whale!

Our researchers sighted Tilly J on January 2, 2010 during the New Year holiday weekend. The researchers were spending their Saturday doing what they like best – working at sea, observing whales. The team was off the coast of Maui, working about four miles offshore from a surf area that’s commonly known as “Grandma’s,” located between Launiopoko Beach Park and Puamana. At that time, they came upon a group of four adult humpback whales, swimming southwest.

Laru’s name is translated from an Australian aboriginal dialect to mean “nearby” or “close.” Our researchers have had the privilege of getting a close look at her five times since 1985! The last time we saw her, she was with a calf.

Kiah is a humpback whale that has been sighted by our research team on three separate occasions off the eastern seaboard of Australia. Our team chose to name this whale Kiah in honor of the spectacular natural beauty of the place where it was first sighted. The word “Kiah” originates from an Australian aboriginal dialect and is translated as “from a beautiful place.”

Blue is a humpback whale named by Eric Foley in honor of his Evan, who suffers from cerebral palsy. Blue is a part of a population of humpback whales known to scientists as the North Pacific stock. During the months of November through May, the majority of the North Pacific stock can be found in the Hawaiian Islands.

With her gleaming white flukes, it’s apparent why this female whale received a name that means “Bringer of Light.” Lucinda is known to have given birth to at least six calves, and has a rich sighting history along the east Australia coast dating back to 1992. Her story is one of our most fascinating whale histories; we know you’ll especially enjoy getting to know this remarkable and productive humpback whale.

Teodoro is a male humpback whale that has been sighted four times by Pacific Whale Foundation’s Research Team off the coast of Ecuador, often in competition pods, vying for the closest position near a female. Teadoro has a t-shaped mark on its tail flukes, which makes it easy for the researchers to identify it. The “T” is one reason this whale was named Teodoro. But there are other reasons for its name. If you change the first letter “O” to an “A” it becomes “teAdoro” which in Spanish means “I adore you.”

Sometimes whales are as inquisitive about us as we are about them. An unforgettable encounter with Argos during a Pacific Whale Foundation whalewatch trip off the coast of Maui on January 26, 2011 led us to add this very special whale to our Adopt a Whale family.

On March 18, 2009, Pacific Whale Foundation’s research team spotted a mother and calf off the coast of West Maui, just south of Lahaina. They snapped a picture of the mother’s distinctive tail flukes, featuring white markings reminiscent of watchful eyes.

Keoni is a Hawaiian humpback whale named by Pacific Whale Foundation supporters, Desiree and Stephan Blaeuer-Degen from Switzerland in memory of their father/father-in-law, John. Keoni is the Hawaiian name for John.

Sonja is a humpback whale that was sighted off the coast of Maui, Hawai’i, south of Ma’alaea, on April 12, 2013. Humpback whales migrate to Hawaii from Alaska annually to birth their young and mate. Typically, the humpback whales are in Hawaiian waters from November to May and the theory is that the warmer more sheltered waters provide safer breeding grounds for the whales.

William is a humpback whale that was identified by Pacific Whale Foundation’s research team on January 2, 2010 off the coast of Maui. William was named by one of our supporters from California as a special Father’s Day gift to honor her father.

A six-time mother, and a true beauty from Australia, Bella is apparently very trusting of our research boat, based on an interaction we had with her and her calf. She was also found in a type of pod that our research team has never seen in Hawaii.

‘Eleu is a North Pacific humpback whale that was sighted off the coast of west Maui on March 9, 2010. Because this whale was sighted in Hawaii, it was given a Hawaiian name. The name ‘Eleu means active, alert, energetic, lively, nimble, quick, dexterous and spry.

Nala is not only one of our favorite whales…she’s captured the hearts of the entire town of Hervey Bay, Australia and has even appeared on t.v. She has given birth to at least TEN calves in the past 22 years. She’s remarkable!

On April 15, 2009, Pacific Whale Foundation’s Ocean Intrigue encountered a competition pod consisting of seven whales during a sunrise whalewatch out of Lahaina. The group was spotted off of Launiopoko Beach Park in West Maui. Veteran Pacific Whale Foundation Naturalist Anna Garner captured a photo of one of the seven doing a fluke up dive, and submitted a clear image of the animal’s unique tail fluke shape and pattern to our research department.

Kulia was sighted on New Year’s Day by Pacific Whale Foundation’s humpback whale research team. Our team included Annie Macie and Greg Kaufman, our founder and Executive Director. Annie and Greg were very happy to be spending New Year’s Day in the company of whales. They launched their small inflatable research boat from Ma’alaea and traveled along the coast of West Maui, in the lee of the Papawai Mountains.

Malcolm is a humpback whale seen in Hawaii and is part of the North Pacific stock. Malcolm was named by Patrick Richner of Saanen, Switzerland. Learn more about humpback whales and Malcolm when you symbolically adopt this whale today.

Marilyn Lee is a female humpback whale sighted by the Pacific Whale Foundation team in Hawaiian waters and named in memory of Marilyn Lee Butler. Adopt Marilyn Lee today to learn more about this majestic animal.

Uluru is a female humpback whale sighted in Australian waters. Adopt Uluru today to learn more about this whale who was first seen in 1989 and discover how many calves she has had.

Marilyn Lee is a female humpback whale sighted by the Pacific Whale Foundation team in Hawaiian waters and named in memory of Marilyn Lee Butler. Adopt Marilyn Lee today to learn more about this majestic animal.

Heaven was first sighted on April 13, 1989 in the Au’au Channel, which is located between the islands of Maui and Lanai. The Hawaiian word au’au’ means ‘to take a bath’which refers to the generally calm, bath-like conditions of this area. The channel is so calm, because it is surrounded by four islands : Maui to the east, Lanai to the west, Moloka’i to the north, and Kaho’olawe to the south. The channel isn’t very deep. It reaches about 108 feet deep. It spans only about nine miles between Maui and Lanai.

Akamai Maka is a humpback whale from Hawaiian waters named by David Shontz in honor of Stephanie Shontz. Adopt Akamai Maka to learn what this whale’s name means and about humpback whales in general.

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ANNIE

Annie is a newborn humpback whale calf first sighted with its mother during Pacific Whale Foundation’s 2009 research field season in Australia. Annie is named after researcher Annie Macie on the occasion of her birthday.

Freda is a South Pacific humpback whale named by Louis Ricerberg of San Diego, CA. Learn more about humpback whales, the Australian population, and discover if Freda is a mom or not when you adopt Freda today.

Normandy is a North Pacific humpback whale sighted in the waters off the coast of Maui. This whale was named by Charles Dalgleish of New London, NH in honor of Grace Safford. Adopt Normandy today to learn how he selected the name, about Normandy’s history, and humpback whales in general.